The Benefits of CMO for a Manufacturing CEO
The following describes how Cabinet Makers Office software can positively impact the working efficiency of a manager or CEO in a wood working business.
The very first thing I do when getting to the shop in the morning is login to our company intranet site. I am taken to an overview of my calendar and tasks for the week.
My inbox is right here too and I see immediately if there is anything new requiring my attention. With a click on the “Sent” section I can see recent correspondence I sent out, who has read or replied to it, and who has not yet even opened it!
Our corporate Kiosk gives me an overview of who is working, what tasks they are on, and any recent comments made on their Work Record. I can click on any individual to get a full list of their assigned Tasks or view their Work Record to view hours worked to date plus any comments they've made. This is one of the most valuable tools I have and most often I will keep the Kiosk open in a separate window.
Now it is time for a more detailed look at my calendar. I can adjust individual items quickly by clicking on them from IntraLook (my communications summary page) or I can move to the calendar. I decide in favor of the calendar.
I prefer the two-week view of the calendar as I can easily move events from yesterday that need my further attention onto a day or specific timeslot. Dragging and dropping calendar items from one timeslot to another is a great deal of fun and is extremely productive. Within a few moments I have adjusted my calendar for today and tomorrow. I could also check and make adjustments to any or all staff calendars too.
Now that I’ve taken care of my personal calendar I want to see that we are fully booked to capacity in the manufacturing department for the next 2 weeks. I’m already at the calendar so I just need to select which project(s) and employees I want to view.
I select Project Overview and in seconds I can see we have 5 active projects this week but only 3 on the go by mid-next week. I send an Intramail to Bruce – our installation manager – to find out why. A few minutes later I see his reply in my inbox – apparently there is one order still waiting on a signed contract. I check the Pending Orders folder and sure enough, there is an order that could be ready to go but the customer has not made it official.
A glance at my own calendar again reminds me that I am meeting the owner for coffee in half an hour. I send John a note that I am on my way and notify my secretary as well – she will check to see that John has viewed my intramail and call him if he doesn’t in the next 15 minutes.
When I get back I see that Bruce has sent me several intramails – one, I note with great interest – tells me that the delayed order has now been confirmed and activated. I return to the calendar and choose the latest project ID to view along with all participants. Now I can see which installers have been assigned and the scheduled dates for all the steps in the construction process for this order.
Everything looks good on the manufacturing side. It’s time to see what others have been up to. I like how as a superadmin I can click on the Latest Items and see what others have been working on but didn’t think I needed to be notified about.
The day progresses smoothly. My secretary notifies me of a new appointment she’s scheduled for tomorrow. I read Bruce’s order capacity summary for next month and send him a happy note in reply.
Tonight I will sign on from home to see if there are any changes to my schedule for tomorrow. Next week I will take my laptop with me on holidays so I can see what’s going on at work from our hotel room. My wife won’t like it but I will sleep easier with my finger actively monitoring the pulse of our company.
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